Her Dark and Bloody Vengeance
by no-one-keeps-secrets
Summary: Vengeance, noun, infliction of punishment in return for a wrong committed; retribution.
1. Chapter 1

**Her Dark and Bloody Vengeance**

**Summary: Vengeance (noun), infliction of punishment in return for a wrong committed; retribution. **

**Chapter One **

Rain fell from the sky as she knelt on his grave. It seemed fitting that the sky would weep for her, for the death of a lover. However, she would not shed any tears. No matter how much this man had meant to her, she would not show weakness. Sobbing in the dirt wouldn't bring back the dead.

Had she loved him? In her own way, she truly had. This man had been her last chance of salvation. The woman chuckled to herself. It was time to give herself up to damnation.

Revenge. It was the only option now. Not for him, but for her. It was time to take back everything she deserved, everything she had lost.

Amanda gently placed a single rose upon the gravestone. That was the only piece of sentiment she would give herself, a single red rose. Standing, Amanda brushed the mud off her black dress and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry Ari," she whispered. "Goodbye." Turning, Amanda walked away with one word in her mind.

Mkultra.

XXX

"Let's go to Paris, it will be so romantic!" Alex yelled sarcastically as she reloaded her gun. Popping out of her hiding place, she fired three times and ignored the pang of guilt she felt as the bullets met their mark.

"When I suggested going to Paris, I meant doing things like climbing the Eiffel tower or eating in quaint little cafes. I did not expect to get caught in a shoot-out with the French mafia on our date night!" Sean replied, with a hint of amusement in his voice. "This evening was supposed to end with no bullets or clothes."

"Can you be serious for five minutes? We are being shot at by a group of very angry Frenchmen!" Alex scolded after smacking her boyfriend on the arm.

"Fine, but there better be some really great after-mission sex." Sean grumbled.

"Haven't you heard? After-mission sex is the best kind." Alex teased.

After Ryan became head of Division, everyone decided that it would be best to take some time off. With Percy's death and Amanda's disappearance, it seemed like the perfect time for some much needed vacations. Birkhoff, Sonya and Ryan stayed in Kentucky to oversee the government's acceptance of the agents and the agents' acceptance of their new role. Michael and Nikita headed to Barbados for some fun in the sun, while Alex and Sean used the time to explore their relationship and head off on 'romantic getaways'.

"I guess I need to accept that we will never be a quaint little café kind of couple," Sean sighed. "Why couldn't I have found a normal girlfriend?"

"Because normal is boring and I look hot with a gun." Alex smirked. "Now on my count, we are going to run for our lives and try to not got shot. Any questions?"

"Do we have a better plan?"

"This is our only plan." Alex rolled her eyes. "One, two, three!"

Alex and Sean burst from their hiding places, guns loaded and ready for action. They were perfectly in sync as they assessed the danger and determined the best route of escape. Both were equally surprised to notice that nobody was there.

"If you two hadn't been so busy with your flirtatious banter, you would have probably noticed that no one's shot at you for a good three minutes." Birkhoff stepped out of the shadows with a smile on his face. "Miss me, babe?"

XXX

Michael.

He was the first thing Nikita woke up to every day, his warm arms surrounding her, keeping her safe. Nothing could touch her as long as she was within Michael's embrace. This morning however, his embrace became a prison, trapping her against him.

"Michael, let go. I need to get up!" Nikita sighed.

"Just five more minutes." Michael mumbled, trailing kisses down the back of Nikita's neck.

"I still remember the last time you said that. We ended up staying in bed all day."

"Is that a problem? You seemed to enjoy it."

"That's not the point, the point is that I have a yoga class to attend and I'm volunteering at the youth centre after that. And you need to make me breakfast." Nikita finally slipped out of Michael's arms, and jumped out of their bed. "I'm craving some pancakes."

"Can I at least get a kiss first?" Michael asked, and Nikita bent down to capture his lips. She would never get used to the feeling of kissing Michael. She had imagined what it would be like many times as a recruit, but her imagination wasn't even close to the real thing. His mouth was warm and soft against hers, loving and gentle, but still demanding. He would always be a forbidden gift to her, something she didn't deserve yet couldn't bear to lose. His teeth grazed against her lip, and she instantly opened her mouth, giving him access. Nikita moaned softly as the tongues danced and explored things in a rhythm only lovers understand. Michael's hands reached up gripped her hips with a surprising tenderness, causing Nikita to pull away.

"Now go make me pancakes." She ordered with a smile.

"Feeling bossy, are we?" Michael teased as he reluctantly pulled away from his girlfriend. Girlfriend seemed like such a childish word for what Nikita meant to Michael. She had pulled him out of the darkness when all he could breathe was vengeance. She had shown him what it truly meant to love, and be loved in return. When they were together, nothing could stop them. Plus, the sex was great. "I could think of some much better uses for the syrup."

"Very funny." Nikita laughed. "Whatever happened to my always so serious Michael?"

"He fell in love with an impossible tease." Michael didn't plan on calling her his girlfriend for much longer. He had bought the ring a few weeks ago; a simple diamond with a silver band, Nikita wouldn't want anything too flashy. Commitment was rare in their world, but Michael really wanted to show her that he was in this for the long run. He didn't care if he married her in six months or tomorrow, as long as he was hers and she was his.

"Have I ever mentioned how much I love you?" Michael asked her seriously, then pulled her in for a bruising kiss. Hands gripped possessively on her hips, he hoisted her up and she wrapped her legs around him, as he pushed her back into the wall. Passion and lust began to take over as Michael trailed kisses from her neck to her collarbone, stopping only to gently bite and suck on her pulse point.

"Michael!" Nikita moaned, arching her chest into him. "You know, maybe I could skip yoga class. Just for today."

"Just for today." Michael agreed with a grin, and carried her to the bed. He pulled her sweater over her head, and laid her down softly on their bed. She was an incredibly erotic sight with her adorably messed up hair, dark eyes, flushed cheeks and muscular stomach. "You're so beautiful."

Nikita tenderly caressed his cheek with her hand and re-captured his lips with hers, in an equally passionate, yet somehow more loving kiss. Michael's hands were everywhere, tracing patterns across her abdomen, outlining the curve of her hip and feeling along her endless legs. She let out a needy gasp as his hands wandered to the inside of her thigh. Michael guided her shoulders down so she was laying out in front of him. With a smirk, he lowered himself on top of her and replaced his fingers with his mouth, kissing and sucking everywhere he could reach. Nikita's heavy breathing encouraged him, as he kissed his way back up to her chest. Michael started to remove her lacy black bra, when the sound of someone clearing their throat made him freeze.

"And I thought Alex and Sean were bad. At least they kept their sexual tension to a PG level." Birkhoff smiled at the shocked faces of Michael and Nikita. "For a pair of assassins, you really need to work on your observation skills. I literally just walked in the front door and have been standing here for the past five minutes."

"Birkhoff, get out." Michael growled.

"Nerd!" Nikita exclaimed with clear delight on her face, she pushed Michael off her and raced to give Birkhoff a hug. "I missed you."

"I missed you too Nikki," Birkhoff confessed, and responded easily to her embrace. "Although, I feel like this reunion might be more welcome to Mikey if you were wearing more clothes."

"If you try and kiss her again, I will kick your ass." Michael replied simply.

"I missed you too buddy." Birkhoff joked.

"Seriously, why are you here?" Michael asked.

"Be nice." Nikita chastised. "Maybe he's just lonely."

"For the record, I have a girlfriend." Birkhoff denied indignantly. "And you guys are the last people I would come and see if I was lonely."

"Whatever you say, Nerd." Nikita teased.

"The thing is, we have a situation. You guys are needed back at Division."

**Author's Note: I hope you guys liked the first chapter of my new fanfiction! Let me know what you think about it. This is going to be kind of dark-ish, with Michael/Nikita, Sean/Alex and Sonya/Birkhoff. If you look really hard, you can probably see some hints to an unrequited Ryan/Nikita. **

**Reviews are love!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Her Dark and Bloody Vengeance**

**Chapter Two**

As they gathered in Operations, it felt as if no time had passed at all. Ryan had restored the room to its former glory, eliminating all traces of Amanda. Memories of past mission debriefings sent shivers down Nikita's spine. She had to remind herself that Percy was truly dead, and that the last word he breathed had been her name. Michael gently squeezed her hand for support, and she smiled gratefully back at him. He would always be there for her when she needed it. Looking around the room, Nikita passed her gaze from face to face, and was met with small smiles from her unconventional family. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Alex. Nikita loved the girl like a younger sister, and was glad to see her looking so genuinely happy. Her curly hair was slightly longer and her cheeks were marked with the ghost of a sunburn, but other than that she was exactly how Nikita remembered her. Two months was a long time to be away from somebody you cared about. Nikita watched how Alex leaned in to whisper something in Sean's ear, causing them both to chuckle, and him to plant a kiss on the top of her head. Just then, Nikita caught Alex's eye and the girl's face lit up in a smile. She practically ran across the room to fling her arms around her mentor.

"Nikita!" Alex exclaimed. "I missed you!"

"How was Paris?" Nikita asked, returning Alex's hug.

"Beautiful, minus a nasty little encounter with the French mafia. How was Barbados? Hot?" Alex put extra emphasis on the sexual innuendo. Not that she would actually want to know about Michael and Nikita's sex life, they were like her parents.

"Very hot." Nikita replied with a wink, causing Alex to laugh and Michael to awkwardly clear his throat. "I hope the boyscout has been treating you well."

"Very well." Alex agreed, returning Nikita's wink, making Sean blush.

"If we're all done with the happy reunion, I'd like to address the issue at hand." Ryan said, drawing attention to his presence.

"It's good to see you too, Fletch." Nikita greeted teasingly, and Ryan nodded at her. Michael couldn't help but feel jealous of the look that passed between the two of them. He knew that they had been through a lot together, and had a feeling that if he wasn't in the picture, Ryan and Nikita would be together.

"Down to business, you're probably wondering why you're here." Ryan started.

"And here I was thinking that you were just throwing us a surprise party." Sean quipped sarcastically. Alex smacked him in the arm, while Nikita and Michael tried to fight their smirks.

"Sadly no, there's a much more serious reason. Sonya can explain." Ryan gestured towards the female nerd.

"Birkhoff and I were looking through records from our oversees resources a few days ago, and we discovered an assassination on a man named Raigo Saar, in Tallinn, Estonia." Sonya explained.

"No offense, but why are we needed? Couldn't you just send some Division agents to investigate?" Alex asked.

"We would, except Raigo Saar was one of the five people in the world capable of decoding a black box." Ryan answered. "And we all know who needs a decoded black box."

"Amanda." Nikita breathed. "She's back." Michael wrapped a supportive arm around her as the truth of the matter sunk in. Amanda, the master manipulator, psychologist and psychopath was back.

XXX

"Guys, I have something I think you're going to want to see!" Birkhoff announced. Everyone had been in a practically frantic mood, trying to discover Amanda's whereabouts. They all knew that it was probably futile, but they had to try. Amanda with a decoded black box and a grudge against Division was incredibly dangerous.

"Did you find something?" Nikita demanded, as she made her way to the computer monitor.

"Not about Amanda exactly, but I thought you'd like to know." Birkhoff gestured to the screen where Owen Elliot's face glared back.

"What's going on?" Michael asked.

"Owen's just been checked into Lincoln Trail Behavioral Health System," Nikita read in disbelief. "Owen's been taken to a psychiatric hospital." A million panicked thoughts ran through Nikita's mind, what had happened to him? Was Amanda involved? Had he gone into a Regimen relapse? Was he going through withdrawal again?

"Stop worrying, we don't know anything yet. He could have found something connected to the black boxes." Michael tried to soothe Nikita.

"In a mental institution?"

"You never know with Percy. It's probably nothing," Michael smiled reassuringly. "Alex, you go with Nikita to retrieve Owen, it's about a thirty minute drive from here. You can come up with a plan on the road."

"Actually, I'm in charge here." Ryan announced, causing everyone to stare at him.

"God, is this one of their Alpha male competition things?" Alex whispered to Nikita. "The testosterone is killing me."

"Do you have a better idea?" Michael asked, a little angry that his authority was being questioned.

"Not really," Ryan admitted sheepishly. "Alright, Alex, Nikita, go get us a mental patient."

XXX

"You do know that I can drive, right?" Alex complained. "Nobody ever lets me drive."

The two women had been driving in their silver KIA for almost twenty minutes, and Alex was going insane. She hated being in small spaces for long periods of time, it reminded her too much of the night her parents died.

"So how are you Alex? Really?" Nikita asked. She would always worry about her protegee. Her life had been hard, and Alex truly deserved happiness.

"I've been doing well. Really," Alex smiled. "Sean is everything I could've asked for, you know? Someone who is just as messed up as me."

"You're not messed up, Alex." Nikita denied.

"Tell that to all my years of emotional baggage." Alex joked. "But really, I'm happier than I can ever remember being. Sean and I are good together, and I think I might actually be in love with him."

"That's fantastic, Alex." Nikita glowed with pride. She was constantly amazed by Alex's strength.

"It really is. Being together, and being a part of the good fight is everything I ever wanted. All I ever wanted was to be like you, Nikita." Alex confessed.

"You're not like me, Alex. You're better." The two women shared a smile, and Alex had to fight off the tears in her eyes. She had missed Nikita. A lot.

"So how are you and Michael doing?" Alex asked. She would always worry about her mentor. After such a troubled past, Nikita deserved happiness.

"We're doing great. Now that Percy's dead, it's like Michael finally is free to do stupid things, like make pancakes and sleep until noon and dance in the kitchen." Nikita laughed at all the memories. "It's been like a dream."

"But you're not free yet, are you?" Alex's wisdom sometimes scared Nikita. "You can't truly be free until Amanda is dead."

"I don't want to kill her though. She broke my heart, but a part of me will always love her." Nikita admitted.

"You love her?" Alex demanded.

"Not how I love Michael, but how I love you or Birkhoff or Carla. Amanda will always be a part of me, whether I like it or not. She made me who I am today," Nikita sighed. "Amanda showed me what a home could be, but now Michael is my home. Does that make sense?"

"Of course it makes sense. Division was a huge part of your life, especially Amanda." Alex comforted. "She was your mentor, just like how you're my mentor."

"I knew you would understand." Nikita smiled half-heartedly, she could always count on Alex.

"Now come on, we have to go break into a psychiatric hospital." Alex announced with a grin as Nikita pulled into a parking spot.

XXX

Breaking into the Lincoln Trail Behavioral Health System proved easier than expected. Their identities weren't questioned, and they were easily granted access to every level of the Institution. Smuggling Owen out hadn't been a problem either, the staff were practically begging for Nikita and Alex to take him away. They hadn't hit traffic on their way back to Division, and even arrived back fifteen minutes earlier than they expected. None of those things were the problem. The problem was that Owen was truly and completely insane.

"Here comes the candle to put you to bed! Here comes the chopper to chop off your head! Chop! Chop! Chop!" Owen sang in a hauntingly bonkers melody. His eyes were permanently glazed and distant, a constant reminder of his gloomy mental state. Ryan had set up a room in Division's medical wing for Owen, who currently rocking back and forth on the bed.

"Oh God, what are we going to do about him?" Nikita asked Ryan with a sigh.

"We're going to figure out what caused this, and stop it. That's what we always do." Ryan replied, placing a kiss on her forehead. Nikita knew that Ryan still had feelings for her, but now was not that the time to think of those feelings. Right now, Nikita needed whatever comfort she could get.

"I know," Nikita sighed again, and let Ryan wrap an arm around her, pulling her into his chest. "He was doing so well, Ryan. After everything he had been through, he was finally doing okay."

"We're going to get through this." Ryan insisted.

"But he won't." Nikita stared down at Owen. "He was so strong, I don't understand what could've done this to him."

"You can leave, you know. You don't have to deal with this. You and Michael could go back to Barbados and pick up where you left off, start a new life there," Ryan suggested. "This doesn't have to be your fight anymore."

"Yes it does, I owe it to him." Nikita gestured towards the singing Owen. "His fiance was murdered and he got through it. He was addicted to Regimen and he got through it. Whatever caused him to become this needs to be stopped."

"I knew you were going to say that," Ryan smiled and dropped his arm from around Nikita as Michael walked in. "I have some important stuff I have to do, in my office, so I'm going to go there now."

"How are you holding up?" Michael asked, concern evident in his voice. He had never really liked Owen, but he knew how much Nikita had cared about him.

"I'm doing alright," The lie was evident on Nikita's face.

"No, you're not. You can't lie to me Nikita, I know you." Michael smiled knowingly.

"I know, I'm sorry. It's just been a hard day." Nikita leaned into Michael, letting his embrace surround her. He gave her his strength when she had none.

"Let's go home. Things will be better tomorrow." Michael stroked her hair lovingly.

"You!" Owen exclaimed in the middle of his song, pointing at Michael and giggling. "I have a very special message for you."

"What are you talking about?" Michael demanded.

"A very special lady went to a lot of trouble to make sure you got this message," Owen explained with a grin.

"What's the message?"

"My turn."

**Author's Note: Thanks so much for all the amazing reviews I got! It's great to know that some people actually enjoy my writing. Anyways, I'm not really sure how I feel about this chapter. It's not my best writing. **

**Review if you feel like it :) **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three **

Two words echoed through Nikita's mind. MY TURN, spoken in Owen's hauntingly insane voice. Everyone was gathered in Operations, silently wondering what those two words meant.

"There's something we're missing here, I can feel it," Ryan thought aloud, pacing back and forth. "There's a piece of this puzzle, that we haven't found."

"All we know is that Amanda is back on the radar, Owen is insane and the words "My turn". Something tells me that we're missing a lot of puzzle pieces," Nikita quipped back.

"Michael, do you have any idea what that could mean?" Ryan asked.

"No idea. I mean, we don't even know if that means anything at all. Owen is kind of insane," Michael replied, a strange look in his eyes.

"Don't talk about him like that," Alex protested. "He was a part of our team too."

"He knows, it's just been a rough day for all of us," Nikita explained, and Michael smiled at her gratefully.

"I know, I'm sorry," Ryan sighed. "One day you're in paradise, the next day you're in hell."

"Don't be sorry, this is our fight. Michael and I are here for different reasons, but we both of us have a place in this war," Nikita replied passionately.

"We all belong here. We all need to be here, fighting the good fight," Alex agreed softly.

"I know. Why don't we all go home for the night? We'll figure things out in the morning," Ryan suggested, and murmurs of agreement echoed through the room. "Alright, so I'll see you all bright and early tomorrow."

"There had better be coffee," Sean muttered to Alex.

XXX

Michael curiously entered his apartment. He had used it back when he was Percy's golden boy, but it was more than big enough for two. It didn't have a white picket fence, but it was home-y enough for the couple. Nikita had made her own personal adjustments, and every room now contained at least three photos. His personal favourite was a picture Birkhoff had snapped of the two of them watching the sunrise in front of the beach house. They looked so happy and carefree with their arms wrapped around each other and smiles plastered on their faces. Michael smiled at the memory.

"Nikita? Are you here?" Michael called out. She had gone straight home from Division, sending Michael to go out and get groceries. He was worried about her, but had known better than to argue with her.

"Yeah, in here," Nikita replied from the bedroom.

"Do you want dinner?" Michael asked, walking in.

"I'm not hungry," Nikita sat on the bed, arms folded over her chest, sighing.

"Nikita, what's wrong?" Michael immediatetly joined Nikita on the bed, his tone softening.

"It's nothing, I'm just not hungry," Nikita rolled on her side, avoiding Michael's gaze.

"I'm not stupid. You've been acting different ever since we came here. I've been giving you space, but you need to tell me what's wrong. We can deal with it together," Michael pleaded.

"Fine," Nikita consented, running her fingers through her hair. "It's just hard being back. I mean, in Barbados; everything was perfect. It was just us, together and happy, with no danger of being shot at, or constant looking over our shoulders. I miss it."

"Hey, look at me," Michael gently pulled her over so they were eye to eye. "That is not nothing. I miss it too. Someday, when everything is settled down, we can go back to that, forever. But for now, we owe it to Owen to be here."

"I know," Nikita admitted. "I'm just scared. When I started this, I didn't have anything to lose. Now, I have everything."

"You're never going to lose me. We're together and we always will be," Michael reassured gently, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"But I've come so close to losing you so many times! With Ramon, or Cassandra, or Brandt, you almost died! You know more than anyone what losing your family feels like. You lost Elizabeth and Haley, I lost Daniel. I can't go through that again, I just can't," Nikita exclaimed, tears welling up in her eyes. Michael simply wrapped her up in his embrace, his arms firmly around her.

"I promise you Nikita, you won't go through that ever again, and neither will I. It's going to be you and me, for the rest of our lives. We're not just partners anymore, and I'm not your boy-toy either. You're my everything, and it would take a lot more than a rogue psychologist to take you away from me. Got it?" Michael announced passionately, Nikita needed to understand how much he truly loved her.

"Got it," Nikita agreed. "Amanda just makes me a little insane, you know? Percy scared me, but at least I could hide myself from him. Amanda knows me, she knows all my darkest secrets, my fears, everything I've kept hidden, and that terrifies me."

"You won't have to face her alone. You have me, Alex, Birkhoff, Sean, Ryan, and even Sonya all behind you," Michael reminded her.

"I know, and thank you," Nikita leaned in and slowly placed a kiss on Michael's lips, their open mouths moving together perfectly.

"I'll always be there for you," Michael promised.

XXX

Nikita woke to the sound of a distant ringing. After Michael had soothed her fears, they had made love and drifted to sleep. It had been a peaceful sleep with lovely dreams, making her feel much more light-hearted and she was very annoyed to have it interrupted. Groaning, Nikita realized that it was one of her old burner phones, and that she was going to have to answer it. She envied Michael and his ability to sleep through anything.

"Hello?" Nikita answered the phone groggily as she walked into the living room.

"Hi Nikita, it's Jill. How are you?" The reporter's voice drew Nikita out of her half asleep state.

"I would be better if you had called in the morning," Nikita complained jokingly.

"Yeah, I thought about that, but I figured you'd be up doing secret agent stuff anyway, so I called," Jill rambled for a bit.

"So I guess you got a new phone," Nikita teased.

"Well it's been over a year, I figured I needed some way of communicating with people,"

"Fair enough, so I assume this isn't a social call,"

"Well, actually it isn't. A girl named Sara contacted me, hoping to make contact with you," Jill explained. "Apparently, she heard about Division reforming and wants to be a part of it. Of course, I wouldn't know what she was talking about since you refused to tell me anything."

"Oh shut up, I know you've done your research,"

"The attack on those Senator's, the President's weird bahavior and Madeleine Pierce's suspicious death, care to comment?"

"I'm not giving you an exclusive," Nikita smiled. "So when did Sarah want to meet?"

"Actually, tonight, as soon as possible. I'll text you the address," Jill replied.

"Thanks so much. It was really good to talk to you," Nikita said sincerely, she really did like Jill.

"Back atcha, we should do lunch sometime,"

"Bye Jill," Nikita hung up the phone, and hurried to get dressed. She contemplated waking up Michael, but he looked so peaceful in his dreamworld. Instead, she kissed his cheek and scribbled a note on some paper, promising to be back soon. She received Jill's text and left the apartment, with an extra skip in her step, looking forward to seeing the young ex-recruit. Nikita drove for about an hour in the pitch black night before getting to the remote looking motel Sara wanted to meet at. Nikita rolled her eyes about how predictable Division meeting spots always were. Scanning the area for Sara, Nikita tucked her knife into her boot and her gun into her waistband. She could never be too careful.

"Sara?" Nikita called out, she wasn't expecting much danger at this meeting, other than an unpredictable youth. As the shot rang out and the dart collided with her shoulder, Nikita's final thought was of how badly she misjudged the situation.

XXX

Michael worriedly paced back and forth through Operations. He had woken up alone, and the day had only gotten worse. Nikita's noted had claimed she would be back by morning. It was now noon, and Michael was concerned. After promising that they would never lose each other, it felt like a betrayal to himself to let Nikita out of his sight. He inwardly cursed his heavy sleeping habit. Michael jumped when his phone beeped, ruining his train of thought. He was relieved to see that the text was from Nikita.

_To: Michael_

_From: Nikita_

_Payback is a bitch._

Michael's heart stopped. Only one person would have sent that text, the one person who wanted him dead more than anyone else. It wasn't just Nikita's secrets she knew. Turning to his friends, Michael put on a brave face.

"Amanda has captured Nikita," Michael announced, trying to keep his voice straight and ignoring the heartbroken looks from Alex, Ryan and Birkhoff.

**Sorry for the cliffhanger... Who am I kidding? No I'm not. **

**So I'm hoping to finish this story as soon as possible, but I'm kind of going away to camp for five weeks soon... Where I won't have a computer. I'll try to update a ton before then.**

**Anyways, reviews are always the icing on my imaginary internet cake. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"What do you mean Amanda has Nikita?" Ryan demanded. "Did she just casually walk into your house and take her? Where were you?"

"Nikita left our apartment at some point during the night. I don't know when, but she left a note saying that she would be back in the morning. She didn't say why," Michael informed the group, trying to stay as calm as possible. "I suspect that Amanda set a trap for her. I was asleep."

"You were asleep? Seriously?" Ryan shouted angrily. "Nikita was out by herself, getting captured by a psychotic bitch, and you were asleep? God, what happened to all your military training? What kind of soldier are you? You've been back for one day and you manage to get your girlfriend captured. Congratulations, you are one hell of a guy!"

"And what about you, Ryan? You're just the blameless by-stander?" Michael snorted. "I know about what happened between you and Nikita. She told me all about your little crush on her. If it were up to me, Nikita and I would be safe in Barbados. You just couldn't stand for us to be happy together, so you pulled us back here, where all the danger is. Don't go around pretending that this is my fault, when you're the reason that she was here."

"Stop it, both of you!" Alex yelled, putting herself in between the two males. She was upset and terrified about Nikita being gone, but she was furious at Ryan and Michael. "Right now, Nikita is probably being tortured by Amanda, and you guys are playing the blame game like a pair of third graders. Is that helping to get Nikita back? I don't think so!"

"She's right," Michael sighed, looking at Ryan with distaste. "Birkhoff, I want you tracking her license plate activity from one in the morning to six in the morning."

"How can you narrow the time frame so much?" Ryan challenged.

"Because I was awake at six thirty and we were busy until midnight last night," Michael responded. "Sonya, can you see if you can get any information from her phone?"

"Well I would, but we're receiving a video chat request," Sonya replied.

"From who?" Alex asked.

"Amanda."

XXX

Nikita woke with an aching head and a pounding in her chest. Where was she? Where was Michael? She was sitting down in a metal chair, her wrists and ankles were in cuffs attached to the chair, and the chair was welded to the ground. Opening her eyes slowly, Nikita could tell that she was in a basement of some sort, with dark lighting and no windows, and only one visible exit. To her left, there was a metal tray with suspicious looking syringes on it. To her right, there was laboratory equipment that looked like it came straight out of a sci-fi movie. In front of her was another metal chair, and a video camera. The entire room practically screamed torture chamber. Nikita began testing her restraints, hoping that she would get lucky like she did with Brandt. Unfortunately, all her restraints seemed completely solid. Nikita was distracted out of her escape attempt by the sound of heels echoing through the room.

"Hello Nikita," Amanda greeted, a pleasant smile on her face. "It's been too long. How have you been? Was Barbados nice?"

"Just wonderful. Michael says hi," Nikita responded, trying to remind the manipulator that there will be people looking for her.

"He can say hi to me himself in a moment, I've just had some delays in my schedule. The internet connection is rather slow here," Amanda began hooking up some wires to the video camera while Nikita tried to understand what she was talking about. Seemingly satisfied, Amanda stepped away slightly from the camera and pushed a button, causing a flashing red light to appear. "Say hi to Division, Nikita."

"Michael," Nikita breathed out, and tried to smile weakly. "Don't do anything stupid to try and rescue me this time. Remember that I love you, no matter what."

"How touching, but back to the point," Amanda narrated sarcastically. "Michael took something very precious away from me, someone that I loved very much. Now, I'm going to make him pay in every way imaginable. And I have a very good imagination."

"What are you talking about?" Nikita demanded.

"Did Michael ever tell you why he wanted to go to Barbados for vacation?" Amanda asked. "Ari was there, securing our overseas connections, ensuring us millions of dollars to live on. Do you know what happened instead? He was assassinated; murdered by your boyfriend. It's Michael's fault that you're here right now, it's Michael's fault that I'm back at all."

"I don't care what he did, just don't hurt him. Please. You have me, isn't that enough?" Nikita pleaded.

"No, because I could never hurt you, Nikita. You're just a part of my plan," Amanda explained vaguely.

XXX

_Remember that I love you, no matter what. _

Nikita's voice echoed through the room, and Michael swallowed, trying to keep his face neutral.

_No matter what._

She didn't know. She didn't know what he had done. Michael knew the exact reason that Owen had said "My turn". It was Amanda's turn to harm a lover. He had thought that they would be safe here, Division should have been the safest place of all. God, he shouldn't have let her out of his sight. Now, there she was on the screen, proclaiming her love for him when it was his fault that she was there. Was Amanda going to make him watch her torture Nikita? How cruel was she?

_Now I'm going to make him pay in every way imaginable. And I have a very good imagination._

Amanda's words were haunting. She wasn't threatening Nikita at all, she was threatening Michael through and through. This meant that torturing Nikita wasn't going to be enough for Amanda. Amanda's true vengeance was going to be much worse. She was telling the truth, she did have an amazing imagination for all things sadistic.

_He was assassinated; murdered. By your boyfriend. It's Michael's fault that you're here right now, it's Michael's fault that I'm back at all._

It was true. When Michael found out that Ari was in Barbados, he jumped at the chance. He whisked Nikita away under the premise of a vacation, and went to murder the Russian. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to get back at Amanda, and make the world a little safer. He had truly underestimated Amanda's wrath, and now Nikita was paying the price for his stupidity.

_I don't care what he did, just don't hurt him. Please. _

Even after knowing what he had done, how he had lied to her and murdered a man in cold blood, she still tried to protect him. She was pleading for his life, when a normal person would be pleading for their own. Nikita hadn't been lying when she claimed to love him no matter what.

_You're just a part of my plan_

It wasn't over. It wasn't going to end. Nikita being in her clutches already tore at his heart. What more could Amanda do to him?

Amanda walked towards Nikita, and picked up some sort of syringe. Michael had to look away before Amanda injected it into Nikita's flesh. Nikita said one last I love you, then starting screaming as the chemical moved through her body. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and sweat was apparent on her forehead and chest. She was visibly shaken.

"You won't want to watch this next part. I'll be seeing you very soon," These were Amanda's last words before the screen went black.

Operations was completely silent. Everyone was stunned at seeing such a strong woman be broken so easily by one needle. Her screams were constantly playing in the back of their minds, her face distorted with pain flashing in their head.

"We have to find her, we have to," Michael ordered. "Get to work everybody."


	5. Chapter 5

**Her Dark and Bloody Vengeance**

**Chapter Five**

_"Michael! Michael!" Nikita screamed his name, her face contorted in pain. Sweat and blood dripped down her cheek as she struggled against her restraints. The electricity shot through her body from the chair she was strapped into. _

_"Michael isn't going to save you, Nikita. Michael is the reason you're here," Amanda's cool voice rose above Nikita's shouts. She calmly pulled out a gun and dangled it in front of her face. "And now, Michael is the reason you're going to die."_

_"Please don't kill me, please!" Nikita pleaded for her life. "I'm sorry that Michael killed Ari, just please don't kill me!"_

_"I'm sorry Nikita, but I have to do this," Amanda lifted the gun, and pulled the trigger. The sound of the bullet rang through the air. Amanda's white clothes were stained red. She turned and looked at Michael. "This is your fault. Nikita is dead because of you."_

_Amanda was gone, and Michael was cradling Nikita's lifeless body in his arms._

_"Wake up Nikita! Wake up!" He shouted, shaking her. Birkhoff, Alex, Sonya, Elizabeth, Ryan, Owen, Haley and Sean all stared at him, sadness in their eyes._

_"This is your fault!" They chanted. "Nikita is dead because of you!"_

_"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" He sobbed. _

Michael bolted upright in bed, breathing heavily as he tried to calm himself down. Nikita isn't dead, Nikita isn't dead. The nightmares had started the night after she had disappeared, and had slowly gotten worse. He could throw himself into work at Division during the day, but nothing could stop the images of her death appearing in the night. Michael had begun to dread sleep, he would stay up late, calling in favours from his connections, trying to find a lead on Nikita. He would work until he literally could not keep his eyes open, only then giving into the torture of sleep on an old recruit bed. Nikita had been gone for two weeks, and he had been losing hope that she was ever coming back. Throwing his legs over the stiff mattress, Michael rubbed his eyes and mentally prepared himself for the long day ahead of him.

XXX

Birkhoff hated to see Division like this. The entire team of people brought together by Nikita, was mourning the loss of their mentor, lover and friend. No one was willing to talk about their feelings, so they all suffered in silence. Birkhoff wouldn't have been able to take it if it wasn't for Sonya. She was his rock. He thought that Michael and Ryan must be slowly going insane without anyone to bare the burden with. Everywhere Birkhoff looked, the lack of Nikita stuck out like a sore thumb. From the empty chair during meetings, to Alex's smeared mascara, to Michael's constant brooding, it was obvious that someone was missing. In addition to that, agents were being murdered; five dead in the past week and a half. They all needed to find the killer, but they were all too busy missing Nikita.

"Alright people, we have a busy day of espionage ahead of us, but first things first. Any updates on Nikita?" Ryan tried to lighten the situation with humour. It was how he coped with her being gone.

"Sorry, no." Sonya hated to be the bearer of bad news. Ryan would ask for updates every morning, and nothing ever changed. If it was any other agent, she would have given up by now, but it was Nikita. Sonya loved Birkhoff, and Birkhoff needs his Nikki. Every day, Sonya tries new ways of tracking Amanda's web cam and checks traffic cams and news reports, just for Birkhoff.

"As much as it pains me to do this, I think we need to move the rest of our tech resources from Nikita, to focus on the threat to our agents. We all need to face the fact that Nikita probably isn't coming back. It's been two weeks since she went missing. From an analytical standpoint, Amanda should have made her move by now. Nikita would want us to take care of Division." Ryan sighed deeply.

"So we're giving up on her?" Alex asked, biting her lower lip.

"I'm so sorry Alex, I really am." Ryan apologized. "She meant a lot to me."

"Do not pretend for one second, that just because you have a little schoolkid crush on her, that she means a lot to you," Alex slammed her fist down on a table. "That woman has saved all of our lives countless times! She never gave up on me, why should I give up on her?"

"Alex, stop it!" Michael tried to calm her down, Nikita would hate to see Alex acting like this.

"I'm not giving up on her! I'm dealing with the fact that Nikita is probably dead! While you guys are all busy getting emotional about her, someone needs to run Division," Ryan replied, anger seeping into his voice. "Even if Nikita is alive, Amanda still has her. Amanda, who has nothing to lose and a grudge against Michael. She is going to use every trick in the book to cause him pain, starting with Nikita. I'm sorry, but I will not let a psychopath's games hinder this organization. We need to find and stop whatever is killing our agents!"

"Just shut up, both of you!" Michael yelled, and the room went silent. "Arguing isn't going to get us anywhere. Ryan is right, Division has bigger priorities than Nikita. Five agents have been murdered, and their bodies are all missing. We need to find out who's doing it, and why."

"I agree completely, I will be checking in with my CIA resources. Birkhoff, you'll be leading a team to scan through any security footage you can find. Also, we have some possible intel on a sleeper agent, Smith and Jones will be leading the investigation on that." Ryan droned on through a list of missions for the day, while everyone grieved in silence. "Michael, can I speak with you in my office?"

"Someone's in trouble," Sean quipped, causing Alex to smile. He would do anything to make her smile nowadays, even if it meant being on the receiving end of Michael's glares.

XXX

"Michael, I just want to say that I'm truly sorry about Nikita," Ryan started off, and could immediately tell that it was the wrong thing to say.

"Don't, please just don't," Michael protested. He was tired of people saying that they were sorry, their sympathetic glances. They all know that this was his fault, they should all be blaming him.

"I know this is hard, believe me, I know. Division needs Nikita, and I am, sure as hell not ready to give up on her," Ryan stated passionately. "You're not the only one who loves her."

"You just said that you're devoting your resources to finding the cause of the agents's deaths." Michael pointed out.

"Yes, my resources. People like you, Alex, Sean and Birkhoff are only here for her, not me. I can't control what you guys do," Ryan implied with a knowing smile. "In front of Division, I need you to back me up one hundred percent, but I want you to find Nikita, and put a bullet through Amanda's head for me. Only get the others involved if you have to."

"Thank you," Michael never doubted Ryan's crush on Nikita, but it was times like this where he was reminded of the effect she had on people. People couldn't help but love and admire Nikita.

"Now, to analyze the situation, we need all the information we can get. I'm not saying that this is your fault, but Amanda is in this for revenge against you. What happened in Brazil?" Ryan asked.

"I used the black box to discover known correspondants of Ari Tasarov. I used some of my own resources to track his movements and I received intel that he was visiting this correspondant. I told Nikita that I was going to check out some new bistro while she was at yoga. Basically, I went in guns blazing and shot Ari in the head. Amanda was there too, she looked so devastated. I never thought that she was capable of love until I saw her grief. I should have known that she would seek vengeance," Michael explained. "I thought she would cut her loses and go into hiding. Obviously, I was wrong."

"Why didn't you kill her? You could have stopped her all together," Ryan demanded.

"Nikita wouldn't want that. Nikita prided herself on the fact that she was strong enough to spare Amanda's life. I wasn't strong enough to let Ari live, but I let Amanda live for Nikita," Michael stated. "And now, because of my mistakes, Nikita is probably being tortured this very second."

"Stop blaming yourself, Amanda will use that against you. What else is she going to use to hurt you?"

"Obviously Nikita," Michael paused, emotion heavy in his voice. "I used to have a wife named Elizabeth and a daughter named Haley, they died in a car bomb. Percy ordered it. Amanda knows about it. I have a son named Max, but I don't think Amanda knows about him, and Nikita would never tell her."

"Don't be so sure of that, Amanda has ways of making people talk," Ryan's mind flashed to the time when he was in Amanda's captivity. He still has nightmares about her. "You're going to start tracking Amanda bright and early tomorrow. Right now, you need to go home and sleep. You look like hell. I need you at full health and awakeness. Don't go drowning in self-pity, get a good day of rest and come in when you're ready to work."

"Alright, see you tomorrow," Michael turned to leave. "Oh and Ryan, thank you. For everything. I can really see why Nikita likes you."

The ghost of a smile appeared on Ryan's face as Michael left his office.

XXX

Michael gently turned the key in the key-hole, and took a deep breath. He couldn't think about Nikita. If he wanted to get a good sleep, he needed to stop thinking about Nikita. God, he should have rented a motel room. Ryan was right, he needed to rest, but how could he with memories of his love haunting him just at the sight of the door? How could he sleep in the bed where he made love to Nikita, and not be tormented with nightmares? He slowly pushed the door open, and was shocked at the smell. Had he really spent so long away? He was even more shocked at the contents of his sitting room. Five dead bodies, in their glorious decomposing states, lay on his couch, chair, table and floor. Blood, guts and gore were staining everywhere he could look. The most shocking thing about the whole picture was Nikita, sitting in the only clean armchair and drinking a veggie shake. Her only apparent injuries were small, mostly faded bruises along her arms. Her hair and makeup were done to perfection, she looked as if she just came from the salon.

"What the hell?" Michael exclaimed, his emotions alternating from confused to angry to happy. The happiness won out, and he couldn't fight the grin on his face.

"Hi honey, I'm home," Nikita smirked, and took a sip of her shake. "Did you miss me?"

Unable to control himself, Michael raced forward and pulled her into his arms. He kissed her deeply, as only lovers do after being seperated. Her lips were warm and soft, just like he remembered them. One arm on her lower back, one roaming the rest of her body, he kissed her like his life depended on it. Like they had all the time in the world, yet no time left at all. Just as his tongue began to ask for entrance to her mouth, a fist hit his stomach with surprising force. Stumbling back, and trying to catch his breath, Nikita got in a few more punches, one to the gut and one to the face. Just as she went in for a kick, Michael's instincts took over and he grabbed her leg, throwing off her balance, she shot forwards. Michael managed a clean block, until Nikita picked up her foot, and kicked him cleanly in the groin. Falling to the ground, Michael looked up sadly at his lover.

"Why are you doing this, Nikita? What did Amanda do to you?" Michael demanded.

"I'll be nice and give you a hint," Nikita said with a wink. "Mkultra."

"What does that mean?" Michael yelled, but she was already gone.

**Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait, camp was a lot of fun though. Now that school's starting again I should be updating often-ish. Let me know what you thought of this chapter, I love getting reviews.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait everybody, things have been a little hectic in my life. Thank you for (hopefully) sticking with my little story. Anyways, without further ado, here is the longly awaited sixth chapter of Her Dark and Bloody Vengeance.**

**Her Dark and Bloody Vengeance**

**Chapter Six**

"Birkhoff! I need you!" Michael shouted as he stormed into Operations. His leather jacket trailed behind him like a cape. Worry, sadness, anger and confusion were etched over his face.

"Woah Mikey, slow down. You may be ruggedly handsome, but I'm with Sonya." Birkhoff quipped, red bull in his hand. Michael's glare showed that he was clearly not amused. "Aren't you supposed to be at your apartment right now?"

"That's the problem," Michael sighed heavily. He plopped himself down in the chair next to Birkhoff as he began to explain. "On the bright side, I found the dead agents. On the darker side of things, they're in my apartment. To top it all off, an impeccably dressed Nikita was there too, drinking a veggie shake and lounging on the sofa."

"Michael, are you sure you weren't imagining this? I mean, you've been through a lot of stress on not very much sleep. It could be getting to you more than you thought." Birkhoff interjected. The stress of life without love was wearing down on Michael, from his unshaven face to the bags under his eyes. "Maybe you should stay at a hotel or something until Nikki gets back."

"I'm not crazy, nerd. She was in our apartment, surrounded by dead bodies. I went to kiss her, and she used a distract, then right hook technique combination that I taught her to use in her first year at Division. Then, she kicked me in the groin. I have the bruises to prove it. Would you like to see the evidence?" Michael demanded.

"I'm good, thanks." Birkhoff declined, still slightly unsure. "I guess I believe you, but that still doesn't explain what you need me for."

"I asked what Amanda had done to her, and she gave me a hint: Mkultra. I was hoping you could search the black boxes, Division's database or anything really to help me figure out what it meant. I really need your help." Michael knew that it wasn't a strong lead, but it was the only one they had. He was desperate to know the truth about what had happened to Nikita.

"Of course, Michael. Do you even need to ask? I'll do anything to bring Nikita home. I'm just going to call Sonya and let her know that I'm going to be home late. This could take a while." Sonya was the only woman, other than Nikita of course, who had managed to dig herself a hole in Birkhoff's heart. For the first time, Birkhoff was beginning to understand why Michael and Nikita did the things they did. Birkhoff was beginning to understand love. He couldn't imagine ever losing Sonya the way Michael had lost Nikita so many times.

"Thank you Birkhoff, really. Thank you."

XXX

"I think I found something!" Birkhoff called out triumphantly. He had been working for almost an hour, with Michael pacing anxiously back and forth. Mkultra hadn't matched anything on the surface of the black boxes, or even in Percy's personal files. After breaking a few encryptions (that he, himself had created of course), Birkhoff dove down into the deeper levels of Percy's secrets. Birkhoff was getting desperate, when he decided to search Amanda's file. It was the section on Amanda's father and early life that revealed the missing pieces of the puzzle.

_Parentage: Richard Smith, father of Amanda, founded Project Mkultra in 1970. Project Mkultra was an illegal CIA human experimentation program run by the Office of Scientific Intelligence. The goal of this project was to study mind control, interrogation and behavior modification. CIA director, Richard Helms destroyed all files in 1993, two years later the project was brought to public attention by U.S. Congress. Richard Smith was assassinated on May 21, 1993. _

_Early Life: Amanda was home-schooled for many years by CIA agents and scientists, and basically grew up next to a torture chamber. A prodigy in her own respect, Amanda began developing her own radical ideas for interrogation at fourteen years old. Officially contributed to Project Mkultra at nineteen, by producing breakthrough methods of hypnosis. Her cold and analytical mindset got Amanda instated as a member of Mkultra by the time she was twenty, 1989. Her goal was to develop methods of individual mental states and alter brain functions. It was rumored that Amanda had created the "flawless brainwashing drug", using a combination of ketamine, LSD, tmazepam and psilocybin before all research was destroyed in 1993, and her father was murdered. Amanda joined Division soon after._

"Oh my god," Michael let out a disbelieving breath. "Ketamine was Nikita's drug of choice. Amanda's turning Nikita back into a drug addict."

"Oh, it's a little more than that. Basically, Amanda is using a combination of drugs to brainwash Nikki into becoming her perfect little plaything. She probably used an initial dosage of a combination of drugs to change Nikita's perception of reality, then giving her daily doses of this 'brainwashing drug' to keep Nikki under the spell. She probably still thinks that she's in a noble war against Division, just with Amanda on her side," Birkhoff explained. "For someone as brilliant and utterly evil as Amanda, it wouldn't take much to convince her."

"So, it's kind of like Amanda has just obtained an incredibly deadly assassin who works solely for her and has probably lost all sense of morality; who also happens to be a drug addict?" Michael asked, trying to understand this development that felt like something out of a bad sci-fi movie.

"Pretty much yeah," Birkhoff agreed. "Amanda has probably made Nikita hate everyone that she used to love too."

"Amanda did it. She won," Michael admitted. "Nikita is her puppet, and hates me. Amanda's probably not going to stop there, she's going to make my life a living-hell, and then when she gets bored, she's going to make Nikita be the one to kill me. This won't be over until I'm dead. The worst part is that Amanda won't kill Nikita. Amanda will keep using Nikita as her own personal assassin for as long as she possibly can. Nikita is going to live the rest of her life serving Amanda and loathing me."

"Stop thinking like that, Michael!" Birkhoff ordered. "We're going to bring Nikita home. I don't know when and I don't know how, but everything is going to be alright. Just trust me."

XXX

Michael was trying to get a few hours sleep in an old recruit bed, but he tossed and turned with every passing minute. Images haunted him whenever he closed his eyes; images of Haley, Elizabeth and Nikita all raced through his mind. _You're going to lose Nikita just like you lost them. _A few tears welled up in Michael's eyes. _You failed them all. You deserve this. _The self-loathing voice in his head was growing stronger and stronger. _How can anyone ever love you? You let your family die and now Nikita is Amanda's slave. This is your fault. You deserve to die._

_Stop it!_ Nikita's voice rang louder in his head. _You don't deserve this Michael and you didn't fail me, Haley or Elizabeth. You shouldn't have killed Ari, but this wasn't your fault. None of this was your fault. Please remember that I love you no matter what._

Michael was convinced that he was going crazy, but somehow, even though it was just in his head, it felt good to hear Nikita say that she loved him. "I love you too." He whispered into the dark and empty room.

"Michael, we have a problem!" Birkhoff yelled, storming into the room.

"What's up?" Michael asked, quickly gaining a hold upon his sanity.

"Remember how Nikki had implanted that old shell program and was using it to communicate with Alex?" Birkhoff demanded. "Well, now she's using it to communicate with us." He held up a tablet for Michael to observe.

_Hey Nerd ;)_

_I hope everything's fine in Division. Don't stay up too late trying to "save me". Tell Michael I say hi._

_xoxo_

_Nikki_

_P.S. You might want to check on your girlfriend._

"What the hell?"

"Sonya's missing, Michael. Nikita has Sonya," Birkhoff explained in an eerily calm voice. "She sent us some GPS coordinates and now you have to find her."

"It's the middle of the night, and this could be a trap. We need to get some rest and consult with everyone else before we make any rash decisions," Michael rationed logically.

"No. I left her alone to help you find your girlfriend, now it's your turn to find mine. I'll debrief everyone before you get back," Birkhoff ordered, a dangerous gleam in his eye.

"Fine, but we're even after this." Michael grabbed his coat and began to leave the room.

"Thank you, Michael. Really." Birkhoff called after him, his voice sincere. "Please bring them home."

_Come and find us, Michael!_

_xoxo_

_Nikita_

**Author's Note: So I hope this chapter was enough to tide you until my next update, which will hopefully be soon-ish. In case you were wondering, Project Mkultra was actually this big governement conspiracy thing in the sixties. I changed the dates and exaggerated some stuff, but it's based on facts. I had a lot of fun researching it :)**

**Anyways, let me know what you think of this chapter. Reviewers hold a special place in my heart. **


End file.
